MIRACULOUS ALLIANCE

CHAPTER 1: RIDER BRAVE (1/3)

We start out at the abandoned warehouse district in Paris. There we find several young people using the place as a training ground. To be precise, the five heroes of Paris. Ladybug, Chat Noir, Carapace, Rena Rouge and Queen Bee. Ladybug and Chat Noir were standing back to back, while the other three had surrounded them in a triangular formation. Ladybug and Chat stood confident and serious. "Let the training begin." Ladybug said as she gave the signal to start. Chat just made a gesture with his hand that said 'Bring it on!'

Rena Rouge rushed in first, her flute extending into a battlestaff much like Chat's weapon does, and their weapons clashed for a while. Rena began with a strike towards the knees, which Chat blocked and with a flick of the wrist disarmed Rena, her flute being sent spinning up into the air. But Rena delivered a kick, which Chat blocked with his staff, but Rena kicked off and did a backflip to catch her flute back in mid-air and prepared to make a downwards strike, but Chat blocked again. He then pushed her back and swiped with his staff, but Rena backfllpped. Rena then played her flute and several more Rena's appeared. All of them then rushed in at once.

Chat closed his eyes, not trusting his eyes, relying on his hearing and smell instead...He then swiped with his baton at the real Rena, making the copies dissapear and knocking her down to the ground. He then pinned her down with his staff. He had a smirk on his face. "Not bad, but I win." However, another Rena copy appeared behind Chat and knocked him aside with her flute. Chat got up, looked surprised and smirked again. "More solid illusions, you are getting better!"

"I'll show you how good, Kitty!" Rena replied back.

"Only my Lady calls me Kitty." Chat said as he continued.

Ladybug was exchanging blows with Queen Bee, their yoyo and top clashing and bouncing of each other in mid-air. After a while the two threads became tangled and the two became stuck in a tug-o-war, both of them trying to pull each other towards them to deliver a blow up close. They twisted their strings and limbs in different positions to stand their ground or trying to pull. "Let Go!" Queen Bee muttered. There was something up with her voice, not a normal speech. It seemed to echo and Ladybug almost felt like obeying. But instead she was only briefly distracted, shrugged off the effect. She had been pulled a bit closer to Queen Bee, but managed to regain her ground.

She then twisted her string in a way so she could wrap her leg in between and make a thug with arms and legs that got Queen Bee closer to her. Queen Bee was in range now and Ladybug tripped her and planted her foot on Bee's stomach to pin her down. "I see you unlocked the voice compulsions. Real neat. But not an absolute if the target has a strong mind that can resist."

"But at least it got me close enough!" Queen Bee said as she untangled her top, it fused to her arm in a stinger-like gauntlet and she thrusted her arm forward, Ladybug jumping back to avoid stinging.

"Turning your disadvantage into an advantage, going for close range. Clever, see if you keep that up." Ladybug complimented.

"You've seen nothing yet." Queen Bee said as she tried to deliver several stings, Ladybug dodging them all.

Carapace have been waiting for an opening. He was a more defensive fighter. Rena and Queen Bee got Chat Noir and Ladybug's attention. And luckily they got skilled enough to perhaps not beat them on their own but distract them long enough. "Shellter!" Carapace said when Rena and Queen Bee manouvered the two of them in a position where he could cast a shield. Only this time, instead of around himself and those close to him, he had learned to project a forcefield around others from a distance, like he did on Ladybug and Chat Noir. "Gotcha!"

Ladybug and Chat Noir looked a bit surprised at first but their confident smirks returned. "Admittingly a good strategy. We had almost all but forgotten about Carapace. But we got a couple of tricks up our sleeve as well...Chatton?" Ladybug asked.

"Already ahead of you Milady, Cataclysm!" Chat Noir's claws glowed with black energy and the forcefield shattered like glass.

"You three did well but wasted your special powers. Of us, only Chat has used his powers, but he can remain transformed a bit longer after using his powers, due to his experience. The question is, can you do the same?" Ladybug said. She told this to lure the three into rushing into things to get it over with to the point that they may slip up. She was right as the three charged in, head-first. "Chat, wreckingball maneuver?"

"On it, Ladybug!" Chat Noir replied with a smirk. Ladybug then jumped up, and to everyone but Chat's surprise, a pair of ladybug-like wings spouted from her back. She tossed her yoyo at Chat's baton, wrapping around it, and then started swinging him around from the air, as Chat kicked the three other Miraculous wielders down before landing on his feet, Ladybug gracefull landing behind him, her wings vanishing.

The transformations of Carapace, Rena Rouge and Queen Bee fell as they returned to their civilian selves; Nino Lahiffe, Alya Césaire and Chloé Bourgeois. "We won the match, but I don't think they were cat-astropthic, milady!" Chat jokes, his trademark impish grin on his face.

Ladybug rolled her eyes. "Ugh! You and your puns, sometimes I wonder why I put up with you."

"Because you love me, Milady!" Chat Noir said, taking her hand and kissing it.

Ladybug sighed but smiled. "I guess I do." Ladybug and Chat dropped their own transformations, though willingly, becoming Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste once again. She turned to her friends. "Well done. You clearly have been practicing your abilities and learning more about them, and you even had a somewhat solid plan. But plans never survive contact with the enemy, certainly when the enemy can also be just as adaptable as you."

"I'd say, the wings are clearly new. It's awesome though. I wish at times I was themed around a flying animal...no offense Wayzz, the powers you gave me are still pretty cool." Nino said, then turning to his Kwami.

"None taken." Wayzz, the little turtle kwami, said calmly.

"I feel like I had rushed in even before the end, with switching to Venom too quickly...I could have done better." Chloe said, her hands balling into fists.

"Don't beat yourself up Chloé, you did your best. You showed some good moves out there. I just am a bit more experienced. I'm sure you'll catch up soon enough." Marinette said, comforting the blonde. A few months ago it would have been unthinkable for the two to be so friendly in their civilian identities, but a lot has happened in that short amount of time.

"Discovering these new powers are so awesome, though! I wonder what else we may unlock." Alya said excited. She took to the hero gig like a fish to water. That annd the reporter in her liked the aspect of discovery of her powers. "But your new wings rule, girl! You are always going to fly now during patrol?"

"Nah, I like the thrill of swinging around the rooftops. Flight is more for things that are out of reach or emergencies." Marinette said.

"I wonder if I'll unlock flight capabilties as well, I mean, my powers are based on a bee." Chloé wondered.

"No doubt about it." Adrien noted. "I guess it will give you a new layer of freedom to go with it."

"Can we pat each other on the back later, it is time for lunch and I have a lovely wheel of camembert with my name on it." Plagg, the black cat kwami whined. The rest of them chuckled or giggled. They are more then used to Plagg's gluttonous nature and addiction to cheese by this point.

Tikki, while clearly amused couldn't help but reprimand them. "They were having a moment Plagg!"

"And I want to have a moment with my cheese!" Plagg said.

"All right, you big lug. I got lunch for everyone!" Marinette said as she headed towards a cool box, from which she pulled several lunchboxes and handed them out. For the wielders, they were filled with delicious pastries from the bakery run Marinette's parents. Plagg had his cheese, Tikki her chocolate chip cookies, Wayzz had vegetables, Trixx loved to eat chicken and Pollen got herself a jar of honey. Marinette huddled closer to Adrian, while Alya did the same to Nino.

Chloé sighed as she was the odd one out again. "I really need a boyfriend..." she muttered to herself.

Marinette was more relaxed then she had looked ever. She had friends whom knew about her secret identity and were not only heroes themselves, but had great support from them. She had a wonderful boyfriend, whose arms were now wrapped around her. She still had the double life as Ladybug and Marinette to deal with, but now it has become much easier to deal with. She thought back to several events that had led up to this moment. Starting with how she and Adrian got together. She was glad they did, but the way leading up to it could have gone better...

FLASHBACK

Marinette was glad to be on time for school for a change. There hadn't been any Akuma attacks for the last few days, she was able to catch up to homework and sleep so she didn't oversleep this time. When she stepped through the school gates, walking instead of running like usual, it was an odd but welcome sensation. She knew Hawkmoth couldn't lay low forever, but she enjoys the little moment of rest. But she had to soon play hero again, though not in the usual way.

"Give that back!" Marinette heard someone shout. She saw one of the new students, one whom recently moved from Belgium she believes...The new kids always had the hardest time at school in the beginning. Especially when dealing with bullies.

Marinette saw Noël Legrand, a big jock of a guy whom makes Chloe look cuddly and had more testosterone then braincells. He was holding the lunchbox of the new kid, which was imprinted with what she could describe as one of those Japanese superheroes, out of his reach. The poor kid, due to short size, slightly chubby looks and meek nature couldn't do a lot to go against a gorilla like Noël. "Why don't you make me, loser?" he asked. The intimidating and smug grin made the poor boy stand back and look at his feet sheepishly.

"I am doing you a favor. You clearly can miss a few meals, you could do with losing so much weight. And this lunchbox, it looks so ridiculous, you are better off without it." The jock mocked as he opened the stolen lunchbox and grabbed a slice of cake from it, devouring it.

"Hey, my mother made that for me!" the little pudgy Belgian boy said. He said it a bit too softly.

"And she makes good cake." Noël said as he licked his fingers and looked further in the lunchbox. "Tuna? Blegh!" he said as he threw the rest into a puddle, ruining the sandwiches.

Marinette couldn't just stand by and watch, and decided to give the big brute a piece of her mind. "Leave him alone, Noël!" she said. She didn't care he towered a head above her and was quite the beefcake. "He never did anything to you."

"Ah, the lovely Miss Dupain-Cheng..." Noël said with a grin that unnerved her. He also sounded way more polite and respectful, but not in a honest way. "Such a lovely girl as you shouldn't bother with this foreign nuisance. But if you want I could leave him alone, if...you would give me a teensy-weensie little kiss?"

Marinette huffed. "I would rather kiss and Akuma's ass then you!" she said.

Noël didn't like that. "Fine then. I thought you were cute, Dupain-Cheng. But it is far less attractive for a girl to hang around losers like this Belgian butterball. But fine. I can have any girl I want."

"Granted they have the depth of a puddle and an IQ to dig for." Marinette bit back.

Noël huffed and opened his mouth. He then realized he couldn't think of a good comeback, sighed and just muttered. "Whatever!", dropped the lunchbox on the ground and left.

The boy grabbed his lunchbox, which displayed 'Kamen Rider' on top. He then eyed his ruined sandwiches and the crumbs of the cake slice he would normally for lunch. He sighed sadly. "You ok, Kiva?" Marinette asked.

"I'll be fine...thanks for chasing him off...Marinette was it?" the boy, called Kiva asked. He always had trouble remembering his classmates' names, but that's no surprise, being the new kid and all. "You were very brave. I wish I was brave. But I was scared of him, and I couldn't bring myself to do anything..." he muttered sadly.

"Noël is a meathead. He is a nobody and feels like he needs to beat others down to feel good about himself." Marinette said. "Here..." Marinette handed a bag of pastries to Kiva. "Since you didn't get your lunch, you can borrow mine. I will just buy lunch at the cafetaria."

"You don't have...I am not worth it." Kiva said meekly.

"I sometimes tend to think that myself. But I learned everyone is worth something." Marinette said. "We better get to class." she said. "And don't try to let that idiot get to you, okay?" Marinette said with a warm smile. Kiva merely nodded and stood up to go to class.

"Marinette, you go girl!" Alya said. Alya knew that whenever Adrian wasn't around, Marinette could be brave and sassy. "You showed that lug. If only I could get you to talk like that to Adrian. Because you can be quite the spitfire."

"My brain and my mouth don't seem to work together properly when Adrian is around." Marinette said with a blush. He's just so dreamy you know? So kind and gentle and not to mention incredibly handsome..." Marinette said to Alya, whom now sported a smug grin on her face. "And he is standing right behind me, isn't he?" Marinette sighed.

Indeed, when she had turned around she found the boy she had a crush on. Those wonderful green eyes, that charming smile, that golden blonde hair. Please don't drool, don't say anything stupid and please don't have him have heard a single word of she said earlier. "Hello Marinette." he said in a friendly tone .

"Meep!" Marinette said. Well, that could have gone better. "I mean Hello! Because I am seeing you...I mean seeing you right now, for the first time today so...Hello!" Real smooth, Marinette!

"It was great how you stood up for Kiva. You are always there for the people whom need help. That's a real good quality of yours Marinette." Adrien complimented.

"You thank...I mean Thank you. I glad that I have that...I mean...er...gotta go to class, bye!" Marinette said as she sped off.

Adrian looked a bit confused. "Why does she do that whenever she is around me? Do I make her uncomfortable?" he wondered. Plagg, whom was in Adrian's bag overhearing it, just sighed. That boy is so thick sometimes. This is why he stuck to cheese. It was far less complicated then girls.

Meanwhile Marinette took her seat in class but she slumped down. Another moment wasted. She had come off really heroic standing up to a bully, Adrian complimented her for it, and all she could do is babble as a looney. Now Adrian probably thinks she belongs in a mental institution or something. She loved that boy, but she began to think it was becoming hopeless...As Ladybug she could fight Akumas without fear or batting an eye. So confessing her love should be easy, right? Some Ladybug she was.

Alya said down besides her. "You okay, Marinette?" Alya asked. Marinette lazily lifted her head up with a look that implied she was anything but ok. "It could have gone better with Adrian earlier but he notices you. When you are being all awesome and brave like that. The way you talked down that bully, it was like Ladybug standing up to Hawkmoth, that was awesome." Alya didn't notice Marinette flinching with the Ladybug mention. "I think that if you don't get tongue tied he'd date you in an instant."

"Then you are more hopeful then me." Marinette muttered. "I just know I am going to wind up alone until my dying day with only cats and hamsters to keep me company."

"You are selling yourself short again, Mari. I wish there was something I could do to take your fears away." Alya said, gently patting her back. Marinette wished for the same thing.

The Belgian boy Kiva was washing his hands in the bathroom after finishing his lunch today. He was the new kid not only in Paris but in the country of France. His father got a promotion at work which required relocating. Kiva hadn't complained, his father deserved the recognition. But not only he had to adapt to a new language and a few new habits, but with trying to make new friends (which didn't come easy for him). And of course there are always bullies no matter what school he attended. At least the Marinette girl was nice to him. She even gave him her lunch . He should think of something to make up to her. It would be common courtesy. Maybe ask his mother to bake waffles or something?

He continued to wash his hands as he stared in horror at the mirror. Not his reflection, but at the person standing behind him. He turned around to face Noël. "Well if it isn't the butterball and no girl to stand up to him this time..." the jock said with a cruel smirk.

Maybe he could try to talk his way out of it. "Say Noël, I am sure you have better things to do then bothering with me, I am no one important after all." Kiva said.

"You are right. You know, I'm letting you go off scott free today." Noël said.

"Really?" Kiva asked hopefully.

"Nope!" Noël said cruelly.

Twenty minutes later, Kiva found himself stuck with his butt inside the basketball ring. Once the next class period would be done and the students swarmed the courtyard, they would see him and they would laugh at him. "I hate my life..." He hated being a coward. Why does he have to be so afraid? Why couldn't he be brave, like The Kamen Riders, or Marinette?

Somewhere far away, in a dark room, where the shutters opened as Hawkmoth spoke up: "Oh, the cruelty of kids, mercilessly bullying and leaving those unable to stand up for themselves in fear. Coupled with being the new kid on the block, all of these issues pile up in emotional turmoil like you wouldn't believe." Hawkmoth had one of his white butterflies land on his hand. He closed his hands around it and infused it with his dark energy. He then sent now the black butterfly Akuma flying off. "Fly, my little Akuma and darken his Heart."

Kiva finally had been helped out of his predicament, and as he, with a solemn look walked home, the Akuma flew closer. Poor Kiva, whom was new and had little to no idea about the Akumas, was ignorant. "Hey, aren't you a pretty little butterfly?" he said to the creature. Then it crawled into his Kamen Rider lunchbox and then he felt someone talking to him in his head.

"Rider Brave, I give you the power to take away your own fears, as well as those of others. You will no longer have to cower away. The only thing in return that I ask are the Miraculouses of Ladybug and Chat Noir." Hawkmoth said as he projected the images of Ladybug's Earrings and Chat Noir's ring into the boy's head.

An Akuma brought out the worst in everyone. It had the nicest people like Rose or the meekest and harmless like Mylène sport evil grins upon their corruption. Kiva was the same, sporting an equally malicious grin that was so unlike him. "Ikuze, Hawkmoth!" The Akuma shrank the Lunchbox down, and it transformed into something more akin of a belt buckle. Kiva placed it on his waist, and a belt formed from the buckle. Kiva made some theatrical gestures, like the heroes from the Japanese show he liked to watch before transformation. "Henshin!"

The transformation began as he was covered in a black and purple oily substance as from the new belt buckle a chant came: "AKUMA! BRAVE, THE BRAVE, RIDER BRAVE!" As the transformation was complete, Kiva stood there in his new form. He was taller, thinner and more muscular. He wore an outfit inspired by the japanese superheroes, including a scarf and a bug-eyed helmet. He had a purple armor, the same type of purple Hawkmoth had. "I take the stage now!" Rider Brave said, in a deeper, calmer and more serious voice.

Marinette sighed. The rest of the day hadn't gone great, but not bad either. Nothing noteworthy. Even Chloe was quite subdued for her doing. But she kept mentally hitting herself for being unable to properly talk to Adrian yet again. Oh, how she truely loved him. He was one of the kindest and nicest people she knew. Not a bad bone in his body. Despite his harsh homelife, how he still turned out such a warm and compassionate person just showed his strength as a character. And he clearly showed at least a degree of friendliness and respect for him, so she should perhaps be confident to just talk with him...But everytime he approached him her brain turns to mush and stopped working.

Fighting Akumas is simple, she can focus there. You hit them hard enough, purify the butterfly, turn them back to normal, done! She is determined, serious and will not back down from a fight. Why couldn't she bring that with her when she wants to speak to Adrian? Should she just give up? Her thoughts were interrupted though as something droppped from the sky and landed in front of her. Oh no...Akuma. She wondered what this one would do. She cannot transform in front of the Akuma as she cannot risk Hawkmoth learning her identity (he could see through the eyes of his Champions after all. The Akuma eyed her with a steely look she could feel from behind the bug eyes of the helmet. She thought she saw that before...like that superhero on the lunchbox of... "Kiva?" she asked.

"I am now Rider Brave." he said, in a deep, calm voice so unlike Kiva's. "You...you helped me out earlier today. I want to thank you for that." he said.

Marinette realized that he wasn't here to harm her. Maybe he could try to talk into him. After all, sometimes there is a bit of the original person left in the Akumas. Like Nathaniel's crush on her when he was the Evillustrator. If she cannot transform, she then has to try to save the day as Marinette. "You are welcome Kiva. But why are you here?"

"I want to repay the favor. You showed me courage...so I will strengthen yours, by taking away your fears." he said.

"Wait, what?" Marinette asked. Then Rider Brave jabbed his index and middle fingers in her chest, where her heart is supposed to be, and she was covered in a bluish glow. Marinette felt like panicking at first...But then she didn't feel anything like that. She felt great. She felt...Like she could take on the world, like she could...no, should do anything she wanted. Her insecurities, her second thoughts, her doubts, they began leaving her.

"I bestowed this gift upon you. Now, nothing will hold you back, you can make your dreams come true. You deserve it. I am now going to share my gift with the rest of the world." Rider Brave said as he then jumped up in the sky, and hopped across the rooftops.

Marinette felt like she should transform and go after him, but she just felt such euphoria. She no longer was afraid. Everything that held her back was gone. She could do whatever she wanted without feeling bad. She could...Adrian. "Marinette, Marinette?" Tikki had flown out of her bag. She couldn't reveal herself with Rider Brave around but with him gone, she should have transformed. "Marinette, are you feeling all right?" she asked worried.

"Never better, Tikki!" Marinette said with a smirk. She was going to have some fun.

TO BE CONTINUED